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Sweet marketing music

Tanner Montague came to town from Seattle having never owned his own music venue before. He’s a musician himself, so he has a pretty good sense of good music, but he also wandered into a crowded music scene filled with concert venues large and small.But the owner of Green Room thinks he found a void in the market. It’s lacking, he says, in places serving between 200 and 500 people, a sweet spot he thinks could be a draw for both some national acts not quite big enough yet for arena gigs and local acts looking for a launching pad.“I felt that size would do well in the city to offer more options,” he says. “My goal was to A, bring another option for national acts but then, B, have a great spot for local bands to start.”Right or wrong, something seems to be working, he says. He’s got a full calendar of concerts booked out several months. How did he, as a newcomer to the market in an industry filled with competition, get the attention of the local concertgoer?

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by Andrew Tellijohn
June 2004

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Development


 

Some owners find
help to grow from
business coaches

by Mary Kay Bunde-DuChene  

Do you ever wish you had a sounding board to discuss a new business idea? Do you have skills you need to improve? Would you love an advocate to create with you a bigger vision for your business? Some small-business owners are filling these needs by hiring a business coach.

What is a business coach? A business coach is to the small-business owner as a sports coach is to an athlete. First your coach helps you determine what changes you need to make. Then, together you devise systems to make those changes. Finally, they hold you accountable in getting the job done.

Coaching is not consulting, although the distinction between the two is not always clear. A coach informs and guides, but more importantly, a coach asks for change and growth. Consultants share their expertise, and probably provide advice, but do not necessarily ask for change and growth.

Coaching was born in the 1980s, and really started catching on during the mid-1990s, after some realized that coaching, as opposed to psychology or consulting, provided a different medium for development.

A competent coach?s goal is to create success by holding you to task.You?re paying your coach to be honest with you, call you on the carpet, and hold you accountable ? hard things for partners, friends and co-workers to do.

Rebecca, owner of a 35-employee emerging business, felt it had been stagnant for years. Not having a partner with whom to brainstorm ideas, she hired a coach to review the current state of business and brainstorm changes that would leave more cash in the bank at month?s end.

With her coach at her side, Rebecca implemented a new advertising program to increase revenue, cut excess spending, and sold off a part of the business that was causing undue stress.  In the end, cash flow problems disappeared and Rebecca and her coach are on to new topics. Rebecca says, ?After two years of working with my coach, I have plugged the current holes in my business. Now we?re working on what?s next for me.?

Of course, a business coach is just one option when working on building your company. There are classes, networking groups, mentoring programs, traditional consultants, advisory boards and many other resources, from free or inexpensive to costly.

You?ve probably gotten a business card from a few coaches if you?ve attended a trade show in the last couple of years. They call themselves many things, such as ?life coach? or ?business trainer,? and have varying degrees of training and different approaches to their jobs.

Certification is not yet required for coaches, though perhaps will be within a year or two. Coaching organizations exist that certify coaches. Two of the most recognized are the International Coaches Federation and the International Association of Coaches.

Whether you want a coach with certification or not, interview at least three coaches before selecting the one you think is right for you. If you desire, ask about their certification and what that means to them. Then you can decide if a certified coach is a requirement for you.

If you think you want a coach, ask yourself these questions:

1. Are you stuck in your business without knowing what to do next? For example, are you unable to break through that next revenue threshold?

2. Do you need to improve your own performance? For example, do you procrastinate and then use adrenaline to finish the job?

3. Are you weak in some area, like creating vision or dealing with personnel issues?

4. Do you have lofty goals, such as doubling your profits in two years?

5. Are you ready to do the hard work to make necessary changes?

Good coaches are trained to help you paint the picture of today, design what it will look like when you reach your goal, and construct the path from A to B. You?ll discover the root cause of issues ? what?s blocking you from taking your business to that next level?  What?s really behind your inability to improve your performance?

Then, with a full understanding of issues is on the table, a good coach will help you design a system to achieve your goals. The coach holds you accountable during each step. Knowing you will be talking to your coach will give you incentive to tackle even the most hated task. 

What a coach costs
All coaches structure their practices differently, but it?s very common to meet on the phone about three times a month for 30 to 60 minutes each.  Coaches are usually available by e-mail and phone between calls for quick sessions. You?ll pay from $200 to $1,000 per month for coaching services. You can expect each session to celebrate recent wins, discuss recent challenges, tackle any issues you desire, and set goals for the upcoming week or two.

Know that free introductory coaching sessions are standard in the industry, so there?s no fear of having to sign on the dotted line before you know it?s right for you.

Many coach referral Web sites exist to help you select a set of coaches to interview. Some coaches declare niches, like finance or leadership development. Typically, these coaches have experience in these fields prior to taking coaching coursework. At these referral sites, you can choose criteria, including specialization, location or price, and search for coaches that meet those criteria. Here are a few free coach referral services:

? www.coachvillereferral.com

? www.coachfederation.org/referral/

? www.findacoach.com/index.html

Find three or four coaches that meet your criteria and contact each one for a phone interview.  Consider exploring the following during the interview:

? Ask them to talk about their coaching practice.

? Who are their favorite clients? That will provide a sense for whether that coach will like working with you.

? Does the coach have specialization? Is it valuable to you?

? Ask them to describe their coaching style. Can you relate to it?

? What are the coach?s values and loves? You might appreciate a coach for their similarities to you or their differences.

? Ask the coach to coach you on a topic so that you can feel what coaching will be like.

? Consider how each coach resonated with you during and after the call. If you feel energized, uplifted, that?s a good sign. If you feel anxious or tense, that coach is not a good fit for you.

Of course, hiring a coach is only the first step. Then the hard work begins, because the coach does not do the work for you. Execution is yours! Expect that it will take three months to see progress in the areas into which you are delving.

Along with those lofty long-term goals, choose some goals that can be accomplished in 90 days, so that you can feel successful almost immediately. Experiencing even small success creates momentum and renewed energy that continually pulls you forward in all your endeavors.

contact Mary Kay Bunde-DuChene is founder of SuperiorTrek in St. Paul, which coaches small-business owners and individuals: 651.994.4564; mkay@superiortrek.com